Hampden-Sydney College is excited to announce the inaugural recipients of the Sipe Summer Research Fellowship—Heath Rozier ’22 and Connor Eickelman ’24.
Legendary Spalding Professor of Chemistry Herb Sipe has been shaping the landscape of student research and experiential learning at Hampden-Sydney for more than 50 years. In 2018, to commemorate Dr. Sipe’s 50 th year on the Hill, the H-SC faculty launched an endowment campaign to fund annual student summer research in his name.
Now, the College is excited to announce the inaugural recipients of the Sipe Summer Research Fellowship— Heath Rozier ’22 and Connor Eickelman ’24.
“Dr. Sipe was really ahead of his time in championing student research, and time has proven him right,” says Director of Undergraduate Research Mike Wolyniak. While it is now commonplace that students across all disciplines should and do conduct research during their undergraduate training, it is only within the last 20 to 25 years that that has become the standard. Dr. Wolyniak adds that “when Dr. Sipe began teaching, it was believed that undergraduate students didn’t belong in the lab because they needed more training in the classroom.”
Dr. Sipe was really ahead of his time in championing student research, and time has proven him right.
Mike Wolyniak, Director of Undergraduate Research
The Sipe Summer Fellowship is open to students from across all academic disciplines and offers an eight-week research experience. A psychology major, Heath will work with Dr. Ivo Gyurovski on a research project looking at the relationship between motivational constructs such as status, self-esteem, and values. Connor—a chemistry major—will work with Dr. Sipe himself on a project to determine whether the bisphenol A (BPA) alternative tetramethyl bisphenol F (TMBPF) produces phenoxyl free radicals in the same way as its counterpart BPA.
And at a time when national-level research programs are becoming more and more competitive, offering in-house research opportunities for Hampden-Sydney students is a key priority at the College. These fellowships are supported by funds raised by alumni and friends of the College in honor of Dr. Sipe’s career-long commitment to student research.
Legendary Spalding Professor of Chemistry Herb Sipe has been shaping the landscape of student research and experiential learning at Hampden-Sydney for more than 50 years. In 2018, to commemorate Dr. Sipe’s 50 th year on the Hill, the H-SC faculty launched an endowment campaign to fund annual student summer research in his name.